Assignment 2 Ideas

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Reflective Synopsis

Image created by me on PowerPoint.

Initial Question:

Making my lessons engaging, creative and enjoyable is something I feel strongly about. I want my students to walk in and not groan about being in another maths class. But how do I boost engaging, creative and enjoyable learning?

Answer:

By utilising digital pedagogies.

So how did I come to this conclusion? An examination of the role creativity, collaboration and student centredness play with each other, lead to this deeper understanding.

Big Thinkers: Judy Willis on the Science of Learning was continuously referred to in my weekly reflections. She planted seeds in my head that continued to grow, in particularly her introduction of gaming concepts in learning environments. I have tried to build on this idea through my SAMR examples for PowerPoint1, and it must be evident as Laura noted in week 5 “Reading this made me think about the concept of Gamification.”  As mentioned in Reflection 62, this new concept excites me and resonates well with pushing the boundaries of technology in learning. The use of technology is evident and popular in the lives of generation z3, so why not build on the aspects they enjoy, such as gaming, to create a learning experience.

Being overly creative in technology based activities is not limited to computer geniuses either. The programs we were introduced to allowed amateurs, like myself, to create complex interactive activities. Any video/ animation program I enjoyed immensely and allowed me to create almost anything, see my PowToon4 example. Being creative in they way you present information adds an element of curiosity to those that perceive it, referring once more to Judy Willis.

Students are also given a leg up with the self explanatory creation programs available. The use of technology does not have to be restricted to teachers, the ease and accessibility of the internet allows students to take control of their own learning. In week 1, I received a comment from Wendy linking me to an article by Dale Basye Personalized vs. Differential vs. Individualized Learning. Although I have come across this in the past, the concepts presented by Basye encapsulated why technology can assist in student centred learning. Each week I tried to apply personalized, differential and individualised learning in SAMR, however I found myself applying this concept for the sake of it. Anne made an excellent comment on my Pedagogy Table5 in week one which enlightened me that this type of learning is dependant on the class dynamic and situation.

With this in the back of my mind, in week four through the medium of images6 , I devised an activity that would benefit this type of learning. Visual representations can reflect this type of learning best, as students can display their own thoughts for others to see. They can go back to their images and remember concepts just by visualisation. In a similar way, this is why blogs are a great tool to facilitate this type of learning too. Blogs allow individuals to post their own resources and create a timeline structure of what has been learnt7.

I have experienced that often the most useful resource is the knowledge of others. Sharing an individual's creative project allows for both the growth of the individual and of others. This can be done in a number of ways from simple commenting on the ideas of others to complex interactions between students and community members.

By this stage, each week I was trying to include both creativity and student centred learning into my SAMR examples, so the next step was obviously to add an element of collaboration. In week six8, I feel that I was able to capture the right proportion of these elements. As a preservice teacher I think it is important to remember that you will not always have an answer, so allowing students to turn to workplace professionals is a viable option. This will benefit not only the student but the entire class. Allowing students to build off of each other's ideas, via interactive devices, further hands the learning experience back to them.

There are cons to the increased reliance on digital medias. As a teacher I now need to be aware of not what just happens in the classroom, but what is occurring online. The technology we are presented with today opens new doors and dangers for the safety of our students. Teachers need to be vigilant and ensure tasks they set can be carried out in a safe manner.

Appendix:

1. PowerPoint SAMR Example: http://jessedse12024.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/week-5-embedded-assessment-4_20.html
2. Reflection 6: http://jessedse12024.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/reflection-on-online-collaboration.html
3. Reflection on gen z: http://jessedse12024.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/week-1-e-learning-and-contemporary.html
4. PowToon Example: http://jessedse12024.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/week-4-digital-video-and-audio.html
5. Pedagogy Table: http://jessedse12024.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/pedagogy-what-does-it-looknot-look-like.html
6. Images Example: http://jessedse12024.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/week-4-embedded-assessment-3.html
7. Reflection on Blogs: http://jessedse12024.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/week-3-embedded-assessment-2.html
8. Week 6 Reflection: http://jessedse12024.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/week-6-embedded-assessment-5.html